Game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park.
Game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park: Situated across four districts (Kasese, Rukungiri, Rubirizi, and Kamwengye) in the western portion of Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park is the second largest national park in the country after Murchison Falls National Park. Known for its famous tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector, as well as other animals like elephants, buffaloes, leopards, hippos, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, Nile crocodiles, warthogs, giant forest hogs, topi, primates like chimpanzees, and more than 600 bird species, Queen Elizabeth National Park was gazetted in 1952.
The main attraction at Queen Elizabeth National Park is the game drive, which gives visitors the opportunity to explore the savannah plains in a cozy pop-up safari truck accompanied by a qualified driver guide who is familiar with the many animal routes.
When animals are more active, game drives at Queen Elizabeth National Park can take place extremely early in the morning, at around 6:30 am, or late at night, around 4:00 pm, when the animals are returning to their resting places. You will follow various game trails throughout the park during the day game drive, such as those in Kasenyi Plains, Ishasha Sector, and Mweya Peninsula, where you can see buffaloes, Uganda Kobs, topi, elephants, waterbucks, giant forest hogs, bushbucks, and warthogs, among other creatures.
In order to observe nocturnal species clearly, Queen Elizabeth National Park also provides night game drives, which allow visitors to tour the park at night using spotlight torches. Only the Mweya peninsula is used for night wildlife drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park because Kasenyi Plains sees a lot of people during the day.
A ranger guide will accompany you on the night game drive and assist you in seeing nocturnal species that hunt at night, such as lions, leopards, civets, serval cats, bush babies, hyenas, and banded mongoose. Along with seeing other wildlife including elephants, Uganda kobs, and bushbucks, you will also be able to witness hippos feeding during the nighttime game drive.
The ideal time of year for Queen Elizabeth National Park game drives
Although game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park are possible throughout the year, the best time to go is during the dry season, also referred to as the peak season, which runs from June to September and December to February. This is because the park receives less rainfall during this time, making game drive tracks dry and passable and the vegetation short, which makes it easier to see the park’s various animals.
creatures congregate near water sources to drink during the dry season, providing you with the chance to see a lot of creatures and capture stunning photos.
Places to stay in Queen Elizabeth National Park while on safari
Buffalo Safari Lodge, Elephant Plains Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Katara Lodge, Ishasha Jungle Lodge, Elephant Hab Lodge, Parkview Safari Lodge, Irungu Forest Safari Lodge, Pumba Safari Lodge, Simba Safari Lodge, Tembo Safari Lodge, Jacana Lodge, Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Ishasha wilderness camp, Ihamba Safari Lodge, Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge, Enganzi Lodge, and Queen Elizabeth Safari Lodge are just a few of the affordable, midrange, and luxurious lodging options available in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Additional pursuits within Queen Elizabeth National Park
In addition to game drives, Queen Elizabeth National Park provides a number of other safari-related activities, such as a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel where you can cruise close to various wildlife species, chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge where you can spend an hour with the chimpanzees, lion tracking, bird watching where you can see a variety of bird species, guided nature walks where you can traverse the park on foot, and cultural tours where you can engage with the locals in the nearby communities.
The Queen Elizabeth National Park travel route
Book a scheduled or charter domestic flight from Entebbe International Airport to Mweya or Kasese Airstrip, and then take a road connection to the park headquarters to reach Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is situated in western Uganda.
Road transportation is another way to get to Queen Elizabeth National Park. From Kampala, you can travel in a safari vehicle for around 7 to 8 hours to reach the park headquarters via Masaka Mbarara Road or Mubende Fort Portal Road.
In Queen Elizabeth National Park, game drives are an intriguing activity that can be combined with other activities such as bird watching, chimpanzee trekking in Kymabura Gorge, gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Batwa cultural tour, guided nature walk, and boat cruise on Kazinga Channel.
